Civilization: Beyond Earth is not Alpha Centuari. Sorry: it’s just not. If that’s what you’re after, you can be disappointed more cheaply with a children’s book named Alf the Centaur.

What it is, though, is worth your time – not Alpha Centauri’s ideological tussle to the death, but a space venture with the same relentlessly optimistic vibe as the very first Civ.

Here’s a panel of Firaxis types ready to explain all that.

“The word we use is ‘aspirational,’” Beyond Earth designer David McDonough told our Rob at PAX. “It’s very important to us that Civ always be that way. It’s something that can be a little shocking when you play Alpha Centauri. The game requires you to be evil to succeed. We were very careful with this game never to do that.”

In Beyond Earth there’ll be no right or wrong, and not even necessarily a lot of war – just the question of how humanity is going to survive in a brand new world.

“We recognize the value in darker and more antagonistic approaches,” elaborated gameplay designer Anton Strenger. “But we took it out of the civs themselves, and we put it into the planet. So when you land on this planet, the planet is very hostile. Your first work in the game is taming that world.”

Hmm! It sounds like a new thing, and a brave new thing at that. But Alpha Centauri has a lorra fans. Is this the sort of space venture you’re wanting?